In 1991, researchers in a University of Cambridge computer laboratory sought a solution to a very practical question—was there coffee in the Trojan Room, which housed the only coffee pot in the building? They pointed a video camera at the pot, wired it to their network, and created the world’s first webcam.
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On May 16, 2003, Boston College launched its first two webcams, offering views of the Gasson Quadrangle and the plaza in front of O’Neill Library. Within four days, the webcams recorded 4,350 visits. The current campus locations on view are typically viewed more than 65,000 times a month.
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Thomas More Apartments
Located at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and St. Thomas More Road (the former site of More Hall), the Thomas More Apartments opened its doors in 2016. The 490-bed residence hall is a mix of four- and six-bedroom apartments, seminar spaces, music practice rooms, and the University Health Services Center.
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Gasson Quad
Located on the south face of the Gasson Hall tower, this webcam looks across Gasson Quad, with views of Fulton Hall, home to the Carroll School of Management (center), and Devlin Hall, which houses the Office of Undergraduate Admission (left).
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The Plaza in Front of O'Neill Library
Lying on the main path between the Lower Campus, where most upperclassmen live, and McElroy Commons, a center of student activity, the plaza in front of O'Neill Library is the crossroads of the University. This camera is mounted on the roof above the entrance to O'Neill Library, which was dedicated in 1984 with a speech by its namesake, then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. '36. Visible at the left, across the wide steps, is Devlin Hall. To the right is Gasson Hall, Boston College's signature structure and the first building to be erected (1913) on what had been a 36-acre gentleman's farm.
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Stokes Hall
Mounted on the roof of Carney Hall on Middle Campus, this webcam looks northwest across the Campus Green to Stokes Hall, the 183,000-square-foot academic building that opened in January 2013. The L-shaped facility houses the classical studies, English, history, philosophy, and theology departments, the College of Arts & Sciences Honors Program, the Academic Advising Center, and First Year Experience offices, as well as 36 classrooms, a commons area, coffee shop, and conference rooms.
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Boston Skyline
This view from the top of the Merkert Chemistry Center takes in the 135-acre Chestnut Hill Reservoir and the skyscrapers of downtown Boston, just six miles away.
Linked to downtown by a trolley stop beside the campus, Boston College is also connected to its namesake city by student jobs and internships in the finance, medicine, education, law, communications, arts, and social services sectors; by the University’s sponsorship of service programs in Boston neighborhoods; and by Boston’s cultural institutions, which constitute a vast resource for students, faculty, and visitors.
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